Combs and Ashes

Combs and Ashes

The Story Behind a Magical Wedding Custom – NUUAR’s Tibyaan Labiib Explains

A young bride-to-be buries her hair comb in a corner of her courtyard. Find out why below.

Today’s brief post features NUUAR’s Tibyaan Labiib’s engaging two-minute video (subtitled in English) on an ancient northern Sudanese custom laden with symbolism.

Above, far left, Sudanese combs, formerly carved from wood or ivory, and the traditional red and gold silk garmasis worn by brides, next to the presenter and expert in Sudanese culture and traditions, Tibyaan Labiib. RIght, Alewiyah from Al-Musari, on Sur Island, (Dar al-Manasir, Northern Sudan), enveloping herself in one of several coarse goat / camel hair blankets or “shamla”, used to capture the heady scented fumes of her dukhan or smoke bath (photo, David Haberlah, CC Wikipedia). Beside her, images of rush mats used to line the pit holding the smoking aromatic woods and incense essential to the ritual, together with an ancient Ottoman Dynasty comb from Qasr Ibrim, Nubia, photo British Museum, CC.

To learn more on the Sudanese dukhaan, see Karkar, Dilka and Dukhan For more on Sudanese hair combs and hairstyles, see The Khulāl and Hair Braiding in Northern Sudan Part 1 and Hair Braiding in Northern Sudan 2.

For more on northern Sudanese wedding customs and the garmasis, see Anointing in Red and Gold: Update, Anointing in Robes of Red and Gold, and Red, Gold – and Blue

For more by the presenter on Sudanese wedding customs, see The “Bugja”

Tibyaan Labiib Tells Us the Story

@nuuarmedia

الحبوبة بتقول: “ده سرك، ما يشوفو زول”، وبتشيله عشان تدفنه في مكان سري بعيد عن العيون ومعاه كل أحزانها ومخاوفها القديمة. في الحلقة دي، تبيان تحكي لينا عن طقس في بداية حياة جديدة للعروس والرموز البحملها، وكيف بتبدأ بيه حياة جديدة مباركة. #لا_للحرب #السودان #تراث_السودان The grandmother says, “This is your secret, no one else should see it,” and takes it to bury it in a secret place, far from prying eyes, along with all her old fears and worries. In this episode, Tibyan tells us about a ritual marking the start of a bride’s new life, the symbolism it carries, and how it begins a blessed new journey. #NoToWar #Sudan #fyp

♬ original sound – نوّار ميديا | NUUAR Media